


It Came From the Neighborhood

by AbstractAurora



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Non-Despair (Dangan Ronpa), Blood, Car Accident, Developing Friendships, Double Dating, F/M, Friendship, Halloween, Home Invasion, Minor Injuries, Movie Night, Romantic Friendship, Slice of Life, Spoilers, Tea
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-24
Updated: 2017-10-24
Packaged: 2019-01-22 13:26:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,347
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12482644
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AbstractAurora/pseuds/AbstractAurora
Summary: It was supposed to be an ordinary Halloween movie night among close friends.Then a stranger came knocking at the front door.





	It Came From the Neighborhood

**Author's Note:**

> This takes place in a universe where the NDRV3 cast attend Hope's Peak Academy (think the Ultimate Talent Development Plan mode). There will be a few spoilers but nothing from the late-game.

The fresh, bitter scent of sencha green tea wafted through the kitchen, warming Shuuichi Saihara's hands. Taking care not to scald himself, he poured hot water from each of the four tea cups into the tea pot, enveloping the leaves entirely. He had previous experience making tea for friends and visitors during his childhood, but now more than ever he wanted to make sure Halloween Movie Night went off without a hitch. After all, this was the first time his high school friends had ever been to his house.

Normally they would all be in their dorms at Hope's Peak Academy, perhaps preparing to attend a Halloween party thrown by one of their classmates or gorging themselves on candy. Shuuichi figured that if he were still friendless, he would be curled up in his room reading a mystery novel. But thanks to the friends he has made while attending the academy, he would not be spending his Halloween alone.

Shuuichi hadn't been sure if he would even make friends when he first passed through the front gates of Hope's Peak Academy. He figured he would fade into the background among his brighter and bolder classmates. But then during gym class on his first day, he had been paired off with Kaede Akamatsu, the Ultimate Pianist, for exercises. Any trepidation he had felt seemed to slowly slip away when Kaede introduced herself with a friendly smile he would learn to treasure.

Neither of them were especially great at the exercises. (As Kaede freely admitted to him at one point, "Spending my life playing the piano hasn't made me good at working out.") He found, however, that when he was talking with her, it didn't matter anyway.

Still, the class did require some level of physical coordination. The Ultimate Astronaut, Kaito Momota, took them under his wing so they could learn how to perform physical tasks properly such as serve a tennis ball. In turn he introduced them to Maki Harukawa, another classmate he claimed to be helping. Despite having the scary title of "Ultimate Assassin," she seemed to tolerate everyone's presence without threatening to kill them - and she happened to outdo everyone else's performances in gym class.

Soon all four of them were having lunch together and going out to the city every once in a while. Shuuichi did have friends from back home, but he found himself smiling brighter and laughing more often when he was with them. Kaede encouraged him, Kaito inspired him, and Maki challenged him. Shuuichi wasn't sure if he was anything particularly special to his friends, although he figured they liked him all the same.

It had been Kaede and Kaito's idea to watch a horror movie on Halloween night. Since Halloween fell on a Friday, Kaede had suggested they do something together. Once Kaito mentioned wanting to watch a "scary movie," Shuuichi had the idea to recommend watching something at his uncle and aunt's house, where he had spent most of his childhood. Not only did they own a fairly expensive flatscreen TV, but they lived 40 minutes away from Hope's Peak Academy by train. Much to his surprise his friends enthusiastically jumped on the idea of visiting his house, so they made preparations to spend Halloween night back in his hometown.

 _At least this gets us away from the academy for the time being,_ Shuuichi thought while he waited for the tea to brew. The opportunity to attend the prestigious Hope's Peak Academy was certainly one he could never take for granted, but the academy had its fair share of... eccentrics. He never knew what to expect at Hope's Peak. Once he had witnessed an entire classroom wall get blown up without any of the staff (or administration for that matter) caring much. Another time he had been roped into an impromptu fighting game tournament during class, where he had unceremoniously bombed in the first round. Events like this did allow to have experiences Shuuichi knew he wouldn't get at any other high school, although for him personally, he needed a break. At least he could take comfort in the expected back home.

The night was cold, unusually so for a late October. While the sky was beautifully decorated with the light of a thousand stars, the lack of moonlight made it somewhat difficult to see outside. _Guess this means we don't have to worry about any werewolves,_ Shuuichi thought. He then felt embarrassed for having entertained such a silly idea, even if privately.

A knock on the front door interrupted his thoughts. _That must be the others,_ he told himself, heading over to answer it. This was not the first time he had hosted a Hope's Peak Academy classmate in his own house, but Shuuichi still felt self-conscious about having guests over who had never been inside it before.

He opened the door to find Kaede Akamatsu beaming at him, two bags of potato chips in hand. Behind her he could see two other figures in the distance. For a moment Shuuichi felt a wave of irritation sweep over him: The lights in front of his house had apparently stopped working the day before he arrived. His uncle had promised to fix them next week, though for now it made it hard to see the other people outside.

Still, Kaede's smile made it impossible for him to be irritated for long.

"Hello, Shuuichi!" she greeted him.

He laughed lightly as Kaede trudged past him with her bags. "Welcome back, Kaede."

"I'm so happy we could do this together," Kaede said. "I've been looking forward to this all week." She placed the bags down on the kitchen table. "I brought some potato chips for us to share, okay?"

"All right..." Shuuichi said. "I'm just about finished with the tea..."

It had been her idea to split up to find food. When Shuuichi had told her she didn't have to go through all the trouble, she had argued that it would be better for them to make preparations for movie night as a team. He had ultimately decided that it would not be worth fighting back against her.

He would have gone over and began pouring out the green tea for Kaede, but he caught sight of Maki Harukawa and Kaito Momota walking over to the front door. Shuuichi waited until they arrived, holding the door open for them.

"Hey, man," Kaito said as he passed by. Maki, carrying a package of small chocolates, only offered a nod.

"What's going on, you guys?" Shuuichi asked, closing the door gently behind them.

"We got what you asked for," Maki said, holding up the chocolates. "But... I still don't understand. Do kids really go trick-or-treating around here?"

"Well... not really, but it can't hurt to have some candy around, just in case." In all the past Halloweens he had lived through, Shuuichi could recall only two kids ever knocking on his door for candy. He figured it would better to be safe than sorry; if no one came around, either his friends or his uncle would consume the chocolate.

"Your neighborhood is pretty hard to navigate, don't you think?" Kaito asked as they made their way to the kitchen. "We nearly got lost on our way back from the convenience store."

"Did you?" Shuuichi said. "It's just down the road..."

Maki snorted. "He wasn't sure what road you lived on, so I had to look it up on my phone."

Shuuichi raised an eyebrow. _Doesn't that mean she got lost too?_

"Hey, having a maze for a neighborhood isn't the worst thing in the world," Kaito said, sitting down at the kitchen table. "When I was a kid, I'd used to explore my neighborhood all the time! 'Course, that was nothing compared to the sea... but you have to start somewhere!"

Once all of his friends had seated themselves, Shuuichi filled everyone's cups with green tea. "I... hope you enjoy yourselves," he said as he sat down with them. "Making tea and being a detective is all I'm really good at..."

"That's not true," Kaede said. "You should have more faith in yourself!"

Shuuichi expected this kind of answer from her, but he still couldn't help but blush.

"I agree," Kaito said in between gulps of tea. "Though I gotta say, this tea does tastes good. I appreciate you making this for us!"

"It's... no problem, really." Shuuichi wasn't even sure if Kaito liked tea, but watching him now, he felt reassured by how quickly he was gulping it down. Next to him Kaede sipped at her tea slowly, as if she were savoring the taste - and he could tell she appreciated his handiwork too. Maki, who had not spoken a word since she sat down, did not verbally express any approval, although the fact that she was drinking it seemed to indicate she also found it to her liking. _I really should have more faith in myself,_ Shuuichi thought.

After a minute or so of them drinking tea in silence, Shuuichi spoke up. "So, have any of you guys seen _Ring_ before?"

His friends shook their heads. "Nope," Kaede said. "Have you?"

"I've only read the original novel," Shuuichi said. "I heard it's supposed to be different from the movie though."

"That's a good thing, isn't it?" Kaito said. "That way you won't be completely spoiled."

"Yeah..."

"I don't usually watch horror movies, so this'll be something different for me," Kaede offered.

"Really?" Shuuichi asked. "What kind of movies do you usually watch?"

She took a moment to think over her answer. "People usually assume I like movies about piano players or musicians," she eventually said, "and I guess there is some truth to that. But my favorite kind of movie is... is one that makes you laugh and cry. I think fiction should make you _feel_ something, you know what I mean?"

He nodded, understanding completely what she meant.

"How about you, Shuuichi?"

"Um..." He wasn't expecting to be put on the spot. Nevertheless Shuuichi managed to answer with, "I'm not sure... I like a lot of different genres."

"What about detective movies?" Kaito said.

"Yeah, sure, but I also like... well, old movies. Let's just say that."

Kaito nodded, satisfied with his answer. "Personally, I haven't had much time to watch movies, since I'm busy training to become an astronaut," he said. "But I don't mind watching an action movie once in a while." After taking the last gulp of his tea he asked, "How about you, Maki Roll?"

Maki was in the middle of drinking her tea. But when she placed the cup down, she still did not say anything.

"Do you have a favorite movie?" Shuuichi tried.

After a few seconds Maki finally said, "No. I haven't seen that many movies."

"Did your orphanage not have any?" Kaede asked.

"We had a very old VHS with a few tapes we could watch once in a blue moon," Maki explained. "I have watched a few episodes of Doraemon and one or two Studio Ghibli movies."

"...Well, that doesn't sound so bad!"

"But it means you haven't watched a horror movie before, right?" Shuuichi asked.

"No," Maki said.

Shuuichi took a moment to wonder how that would work out. How would someone like Maki, who had never seen a horror movie in her life, react to one? Would she be scared because she wasn't used to cliché tropes like jump scares? Or would she just be bored with it? Her all-too-common death glare, combined with her background as a professional assassin, seemed to indicate that nothing would ever be able to frighten her...

"Don't worry, Maki Roll," Kaito assured her. "I, Kaito Momota, Luminary of the Stars, will make sure we get through this together!"

"Thanks," Maki said, crossing her arms. It was hard to tell if she was being sarcastic or not.

Soon they were all finished with their tea, so it was time to set up in the living room to watch the movie. The living room was small but cozy. On one side was a flatscreen TV, mounted to the wall. On the other was a short linen couch, where Shuuichi had tossed as many spare blankets and pillows he could find. The coffee table was pushed off to the side, freeing up the center of the room.

"So, uh... two or three people can fit on the couch," Shuuichi said as he placed a blanket down before him. "I'll take the floor." If it were up to him, he would have taken the couch, but he figured it would be more polite to offer it to his guests.

"I'll take the floor too!" Kaede chimed in.

"R-really?" Shuuichi asked in disbelief. "I mean, wouldn't the couch be more comfortable?"

"I don't mind watching movies on the floor," Kaede said, smiling brightly. "It'll be like a real sleepover!"

"This technically _is_ a sleepover, right?" Kaito said.

"Right..." Shuuichi said at a near-whisper, feeling embarrassed for himself. Having a classmate over for a project was one thing, but a co-ed sleepover was an entirely different matter.

When he had asked his aunt if he could have the sleepover, he was utterly surprised when she said yes. When she had went on to mention that she would be attending a Halloween party with his uncle that night, Shuuichi couldn't resist at the time asking why she was allowing him to have a sleepover with both guys and girls. His aunt had told him that it was because she trusted him. Shuuichi got the impression the reason was more along the lines of her thinking of him as an innocent young man. Surely he wasn't the type of guy who would turn the sleepover into anything crazy like an orgy, right?

Now, as he watched his friends set up, he wondered what would happen if he took advantage of the situation. Once he imagined his aunt and uncle's heartbroken reactions, however, he shook off his intrusive thoughts and went back to preparing for the movie.

At first they were so occupied with arranging the blankets that the sound of few taps upon the front door mostly went unnoticed. But when the taps occurred again, this time increasing in volume, all four of them stopped what they were doing. A few seconds of uncertain silence passed.

"...Maybe some kids wanting candy?" Kaede then suggested.

"I... don't think so," Shuuichi said. "I don't hear anybody outside." Not only did he not hear any telltale signs of children impatiently waiting at the door, he also knew there weren't many young people living near his house. "Do you hear anyone?"

Kaede squinted her eyes, intensely focused on listening. It did not take long before she gave up and shook her head. "No..."

Another series of knocks sounded on the door.

"Maybe your folks are back early?" Kaito said, his voice lower than usual.

"No, my aunt and uncle won't be back for another two hours," Shuuichi said, "and they'd tell me if they were coming back now." He went over to the front window next to the TV, opened the curtains and attempted to look outside. However, there was not enough light for him to determine who or what was out there. "I don't see anyone..."

More knocking followed. Once Shuuichi moved away from the front window, he focused his attention back on his friends. Kaede appeared agitated. He wished he could do or say something to help her, but he couldn't think of what. Next to her Kaito seemed to be observing his surroundings. Maki, who had been quiet the entire time, followed Shuuichi's lead by also peeking outside in an attempt to figure what was causing the knocking sound.

"Do you think it's an intruder?" Kaito asked.

"No, that's ridiculous," Shuuichi said. "I can't imagine someone would want to intrude my house _now_..." He had once read that intruders usually invaded houses during the middle of the day when all occupants were out. Or they broke in when the occupants were on vacation. Home invasions at night happened less often than the general public thought.

"You know what I think we should do?" Kaito said. "Let's plan an ambush!"

Confused, Shuuichi asked, "An ambush?"

"The knocking has to come from _someone_. And if it's not coming from kids, or anyone you know... then it has to be from a hostile force!"

 _A hostile force?_ Shuuichi thought. _Who does he think is at the front door?_ Without thinking he said, "Do you think the cause is supernatural? Like a gho-?"

"No!" Kaito said a little too quickly. "I'm talking about an actual person! Sheesh..."

"We have no way of knowing unless we go outside..." Kaede said quietly. While her voice indicated she was calm, her wide eyes and shaky palms told a different story. "Shuuichi, what do you think we should do?"

"Uh..." Once again he found himself on the spot. For Kaede's sake though, Shuuichi decided to push past his anxiety. "You guys should stay here," he told them. "I'll see if I can identify the source of the knocks from another room..." He went over to the other side of the house, into his uncle's study, in order to check through the window there. He heard Kaede and Kaito check the other front windows.

Suddenly more knocks sounded against a window. Kaede let out a loud yelp from the living room. Now in a state of total panic, Shuuichi rushed over to her.

"I saw someone in front of the window!" Kaede shouted, pointing to it. "Over there!"

Shuuichi let out an exasperated grunt as he attempted to look outside through the window for what felt like the fiftieth time.

"Hey, this isn't funny, you know!" Kaito said at a near-holler. "You better show yourself before I... I...!"

The only person in the house who wasn't losing their mind was Maki. She calmly peered through the peep hole at the front door. After spending a moment looking through it, she finally opened the door.

Waiting for them... was a blood-covered Rantarou Amami.

Kaede and Kaito let out a small scream. Shuuichi couldn't help but jump back a little. Maki sighed and moved away so that their new guest could address them.

"Hey, guys," Rantarou said, giving them a friendly smile and wave. While there were wounds all over his forearms and legs, he did not seem to notice them.

Despite his injured state, a collective sigh of relief followed. Everyone seemed to realize all at once that they were not in danger. "Oh, it's _you_..." Shuuichi said.

"Ah, I didn't realize I'd scared you," Rantarou said. He put up the palms of his hands, which were also covered in blood. "My apologies."

"What happened to you, Rantarou?!" Kaede said, frantically moving in closer so she could inspect his injuries.

"It looks like you banged yourself up pretty badly..." Kaito said.

"I was in a car accident," Rantarou explained, rubbing the back of his neck. "Well, a cab accident to be specific."

"What happened?" Kaede asked him.

"I had an obligation in another town, but there are no train stations there. So I had to hire a cab to transport me there and back."

"Huh?" Kaito said. "What do you mean by obligation?"

"I'd rather not discuss it right now." Rantarou folded his arms and broke eye contact with them. "Let's just say that today has been very stressful..."

 _Let's not push him too much..._ Shuuichi thought. He then said, "Rantarou, how did this crash happen?"

"Well, it was already dark outside by the time I was finished with my business," he told them. "I was on my way back when the cab driver told me he needed to stop at a gas station. But on the way there he made a sharp turn and hit a wall. Luckily one of the cab doors fell off, so I was able to escape with only a few injuries. But my cell phone got crushed... and the driver himself..."

A mental image of a completely-flattened cab filled Shuuichi's mind. "You don't need to explain that," he said, shaking off the image. "So where did the crash happen?"

"Just down the road a bit," Rantarou said, pointing to his left. "I was unsure of what to do at first. Then I remembered that I went over to your house for that interview."

Shuuichi nodded knowingly. Right before the end of the first term, he and Rantarou were paired off in history class and had to interview an adult who "possessed talent." They ended up interviewing his uncle, who's also a detective, since neither of them could think of anyone else. Rantarou had been a good interview partner, asking the right questions and generally being helpful throughout the project. But he had also been strangely evasive whenever Shuuichi had tried to ask Rantarou about himself.

"So I decided to walk to your house so I could phone the police and... I guess wash myself off." Rantarou let out a small laugh. Shuuichi quietly wondered why he was acting so nonchalant for someone who just barely escaped a car crash with his life. But then he figured there wasn't exactly a "right" reaction to being involved in an accident like that.

"Okay..." Shuuichi said. "I guess you can wash off in the bathroom. I'll call the police for you."

"I can help you wash off the blood!" Kaede offered.

"It's fine," Rantarou said. "I don't think I'll need much help with that..."

"At least let me show you to the bathroom!"

He finally relented and allowed Kaede to escort him to the bathroom. Shuuichi went into the hallway to call the local police, feeling like his night had just been flipped upside down. While they all knew _of_ Rantarou Amami, none of them were close friends with him. Shuuichi himself was the only one who shared a class with him, and even after spending some time together during the history project, he still didn't think he knew Rantarou all that well. In fact, Shuuichi wasn't even sure what his Ultimate talent was.

While Shuuichi called the police, Kaede showed Rantarou the way to the bathroom. "Here..." she said to him, "I've been to the bathroom here before. It's down the hall, to your right."

"Thanks," Rantarou said.

Before he could enter Kaede added, "I'm very sorry this happened to you. I can't imagine how terrifying it is to be in a car accident."

He shrugged. "Well, I've never liked cars all that much... but I had no choice."

"Hm? What do you mean you don't like cars?"

Rantarou's face suddenly seemed to grow darker, taking Kaede aback. Then the color returned to his face. "Ah, never mind," he said dismissively. "Forget I ever mentioned it."

Kaede wasn't sure what to make of his response, but before she could say anything, he closed the bathroom door on her.

Meanwhile Kaito and Maki were back on the couch in the living room, among the various throw pillows and blankets, waiting for their friends to finish their business. "You know, maybe this could turn out to be a good thing," Kaito told her.

"Why would you say that?" Maki asked, skeptical.

"I've always liked meeting new people and getting to know them," he said. "Maybe this is the start of a brand new partnership!"

"Partnership?"

"Yeah!" Kaito said with a thumbs-up. "He can be my new sidekick!"

Maki thought about all the people Kaito had considered his sidekick in both the past and present. In addition to the various colorful characters from his childhood he had told her about, she recalled that she, Shuuichi and Kaede were once called sidekicks as well.

Out of curiosity Maki asked him, "A sidekick? Like me?"

Kaito laughed. "Well, not _quite_ like you..."

A tapping noise sounded near the front of the house, silencing the conversation.

"...What was that?" Kaito said, suddenly on edge.

"It's probably Rantarou washing up in the bathroom," Maki said.

"I don't know..." he said lowly. "There could still be a murderer sneaking around here."

"Why would there be a murderer walking around the neighborhood?"

"You're the Ultimate Assassin! Isn't it your job to look out for these kind of people?"

Maki was unsure of how to answer his question. To her it was much like asking why an owner of a five-star restaurant wasn't worried about competition from a fast food place. She eventually sighed and said, "If there was a, quote-unquote, 'murderer' walking around the neighborhood, why wouldn't they just go after Rantarou?"

"Uh... maybe they're after someone who was already in this house?" Kaito suggested.

"Like Shuuichi? Why would there be a murderer after him? And why would they make their presence known by _making loud noises throughout the house?_ "

"I don't know! I was just being hypothetical!"

Maki shook her head. "You can be such an idiot sometimes..." she said, not bothering to hide her small smile.

Soon everyone gathered in the living room once more. Rantarou was free of blood and wore a different set of clothing, borrowed from Shuuichi. Since they now had to wait for the police to show up, they decided to make small talk with their new guest.

"So... what kind of movies do you like, Rantarou?" Kaede asked him.

"Movies?" Rantarou said. "Well, I usually don't go to movie theaters... I'm too busy traveling to see any movies, and... I'd prefer to see locales in real life rather than watch them on a screen, you know?"

"I see..."

"But I once went to a famous film festival when my family was traveling in Europe," he added. "So I saw a few movies there... I would recommend going if you ever have the chance."

Shuuichi nodded, although he knew he wouldn't be going to any European film festivals anytime soon. "Well, we were about to watch a horror movie," he said. "Have you ever watched-?"

A loud knock on the front door silenced him. Everyone exchanged concerned glances, with one exception.

"It's probably the police," Maki said, sounding annoyed.

"You think?" Kaito asked. "I don't know... Shouldn't we plan an ambush, just in case it's a murderer?"

She snorted. "Do you want to die?"

"No! That's why we need to plan an ambush!"

The knocking continued. Shuuichi, sensing commotion in their future unless he did something, spoke up. "Guys, we're not going to plan an ambush," he said. "Rantarou and I can answer the door."

"Fine," Kaito said with a careless shrug. "But I still say we have Maki hide nearby, just in case there's a murderer on the loose."

Maki sighed and went into the study room across the hallway. Shuuichi wondered if she was following Kaito's order or was nervous about being around the police as an assassin. But then he figured it didn't matter either way.

While she hid, Shuuichi answered the door with Rantarou by his side. The sight before him caused him to let out a shrill yelp.

"I'm alive, I swear I'm alive!" a low-pitched voice hollered.

While Shuuichi recovered from his small bout of panic, Rantarou remained calm and collected. "Oh... I didn't realize you made it out of the cab," he said to the man standing before them. Like Rantarou, the man was also covered in blood from his face to his lower legs. However there were more injuries on his body, and there was a limp to his step, like he had sprained an ankle.

Shuuichi took notice of the man's uniform and put the pieces together.

"Someone just call the hospital!" the cab driver gasped.

By the time the police arrived and the driver sent off to the hospital, an hour had passed. Since all the tumult with Rantarou had lasted about a half-hour, it meant that they still hadn't started the movie by the time Shuuichi's aunt and uncle came home. Once he finished explaining to them what had happened while they were gone, another 20 minutes had passed.

Finally, once Shuuichi was done talking with his uncle and aunt, he joined his friends in the living room. Midnight was about to strike.

"Well, it looks like we're ready to start..." Shuuichi said, laughing a little.

Kaede also laughed. "Yeah, a lot has happened in the past few hours. At least we can start our Halloween party now."

"Imagine if we had to catch the last train to Hope's Peak Academy now..." Kaito sighed.

"Oh, did I interrupt your party?" Rantarou said, appearing genuinely surprised. "I'm sorry..."

"Don't worry about it," Shuuichi said. "You couldn't have planned to get into a car accident."

"I guess I didn't... Although I don't think I'll be using cabs anymore." Although Rantarou said this like he were making a casual observation, Shuuichi noticed an undertone of bitterness in his words. He made a mental note to talk to Rantarou alone at the next possible opportunity.

"That reminds me..." Kaede said. "We should apologize to Maki too."

Everyone's attention went to Maki. "...Why?" she asked.

"This is supposed to be the first Halloween movie night you've ever had, right? I wish we could have given you a better experience..."

Maki sighed. "Don't worry about it. I don't regret coming here."

"You don't?" Shuuichi said.

"Why would I?" she said, confused.

"You've got a good point, Maki Roll," Kaito said. "And nothing's stopping us from watching _Ring_ now!"

"Still, it might not be as scary as it could have been..." Kaede said. "After what we've been through, that is."

The expression on Maki's face remained stoic, and indeterminable. While Shuuichi could tell she was not in the _best_ mood, it didn't necessarily mean she was in a _bad_ mood either. _Guess we'll have to see if she ends up enjoying herself or not._

Now they could finally finish setting up and actually watch the movie. While Maki and Kaito arranged a few throw pillows, Kaede curled up with a blanket on the carpet. Before Shuuichi joined her, he intercepted Rantarou in the hallway.

"Are you sure you want to stay here for the night, Rantarou?" Shuuichi asked him.

"I suppose it's the most reasonable option, don't you think?" Rantarou said. "I can find another ride if you don't want me here..."

"No, we wouldn't mind you staying. Do what you feel is most comfortable."

"All right... I'll stay." As Rantarou returned to the living room, he added, "To tell you the truth, I haven't spent the night with friends in a long time... I appreciate you giving me the opportunity."

Shuuichi watched him meander to the couch, silently wondering what he meant. Then he pushed it out of his mind for the time being and went over to sit down next to Kaede.

When Kaito explained to Rantarou what had happened before he came to their house, Kaede saddled up closer to Shuuichi. "That wasn't so bad, was it?" she asked him.

"Huh?" Shuuichi said, suddenly self-conscious. "We haven't even started watching the movie yet..."

Kaede laughed, and Shuuichi now felt like he was too warm for the blanket wrapped around his body. "I meant the past few hours... Turns out there wasn't anything to be frightened of!"

"Right..." He let out a small chuckle.

"I'm really glad you decided to keep a cool head, Shuuichi," she added. "I don't know if I could have handled everything by myself without freaking out. It's nice to be able to rely on someone else."

Shuuichi blushed, looking away from her. "I was just following my instincts..."

"You should follow them more often, Shuuichi. I believe in you!"

With a nervous laugh Shuuichi said, "T-thanks, Kaede..." In an effort to distract himself from how warm he felt, he focused his attention for the next few minutes on getting _Ring_ set up on his TV.

"All right, time to get started!" Kaito said once Shuuichi pressed "play" on the main menu.

Shuuichi let out a deep breath he didn't realize he had been holding. It was indeed time to get started.


End file.
